A collaborative approach to workflow design

Uploading and describing content in a digital asset management system requires an efficient process, easily integrated into people's daily work habits. In December we kicked off a project to design and implement a simplified workflow for managing design products, taking advantage of our new embedded metadata (XMP) standard. Sometimes talking about workflows can feel like dancing about architecture, so I decided to try a more hands-on workshop as part of the project.

The working group attending the workshop included graphic designers, a pre-press designer and a supervisor. I modelled the workshop on card-sorting, which is a simple technique used to develop classifications that make sense to users.

Workshop materials

I created cards representing different aspects of the design workflow, including actions, tools, assets and roles. I also provided blank cards so the working group could add any missing parts. Each card was introduced to make sure everyone was on the same page.

Workflow Requirements

Before we started the exercise, we reviewed workflow requirements (must-haves), based on unit goals for DAL participation, the Accessibility for Ontarions with Disabilities Act, and our approved metadata profiles:

1. design products & photos are uploaded to DAL 
2. mandatory descriptive fields are completed 
3. photos are tagged with "headlines" for alt-tags before accessible PDF is created 
4. the process is sustainable (prevents backlog of projects to be uploaded) 

 We also reviewed our approved descriptive fields (metadata profiles) for design products (INDD & PDF files), photos and graphics, including mappings between Adobe Creative Suite 6 and DAL. Green fields are mandatory, white are optional, and blue are automatically captured on file upload to DAL.

Workshop Process

We were now ready to begin the hands-on part of the workshop. I asked the working group to place the cards in logical sequences that incorporated  the required description and upload work into the design process. Here are some snapshots of the workflows being sketched out:

The Results

Here's a cleaned-up version of the proposed workflow when images & graphics are downloaded from DAL for use in designs: 


I believe this hands-on approach is a useful method for understanding and redesigning workflows. The working group was able to experiment with different ideas while discussing the pros and cons. The resulting workflows do a great job incorporating the required description and upload work into the design process. The next tasks for the working group includes testing, validating and identifying training requirements.